Data Access Compliance Office

The Data Access Compliance Office (DACO): Handles requests from scientists for access to controlled data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC).

Researchers and governments now recognize the great potential of data sharing for scientific research. However, caution is required when sharing data about individuals participating in genomic research because genomic data, like other types of medical data, can contain personal and identifying information. For these reasons, it is important for research projects and infrastructures to develop transparent, independent, oversight structures as well as good privacy practices. The DACO and the International Data Access Committee (IDAC) have been created to ensure that potentially identifying data from the ICGC will only be used by qualified scientists for public health objectives.

The current Data Access Officer is Professor Yann Joly from the Centre of Genomics and Policy (McGill University). The current chair of IDAC is Professor Martin Bobrow from Cambridge Institute of Medical Research (Cambridge University).